SEC to allow alcohol at athletic events, Mizzou makes no decision yet

The Southeastern Conference announced a chance to its existing policy that limited the sale of alcoholic beverages at athletics events. Starting Aug.1, each school within the SEC now has the right to decide whether or not it will sell alcohol within the stadium of athletic events.

“We are committed as a Conference to make sure that all changes in policy are implemented in ways that respect and sustain the traditions that make the SEC game-day experience exceptional for all attendees,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said.

MU released a joint statement by Chancellor Alex Cartwright and Athletic Director Jim Sterk that states, “We appreciate the Southeastern Conference developing a policy that provides us the authority to determine what is best for the University of Missouri regarding the sale of alcohol in public areas within our athletic venues. Our guiding principle in any decision will be maintaining the safety of our fans, student-athletes and staff while creating an atmosphere that reflects our institutional values.”

The statement continues, “We will begin a process with the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee to discuss the potential sale and consumption of alcohol in university facilities in the near future. The IAC is a standing committee of MU that has broad representation from the campus community and includes faculty, staff, students and alumni.”

Therefore, Mizzou will decide at a later time whether or not it will make changes to its alcohol sale policies, due to the SEC changes. ABC 17 Sports Director Andrew Kauffman sat down with Sterk and will discuss more about potential changes at MU during Sunday Sit-Down on SportsZone on June 2.

According to the SEC changes, a ny sales of alcoholic beverages in the public seating areas will be limited to beer and wine, and each institution that chooses to sell alcohol will be required to implement a server training program for staff. The policy does not impact suites, clubs or private leased areas in which the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages was previously permitted under existing SEC regulations.

The adoption of the revised policy comes after a recommendation by a working group of campus leaders created at the May 2018 SEC Spring Meetings. The group was charged with a review of the existing Conference Game Management Policy governing the availability of alcoholic beverages at SEC athletics events and to identify a direction for consideration by the membership.

“Our policy governing alcohol sales has been a source of considerable discussion and respectful debate among our member universities in recent years,” said Sankey. “As a Conference, we have been observant of trends in the sale and consumption of alcohol at collegiate sporting events and have drawn upon the experiences and insights of our member schools which have responsibly established limited alcohol sales within controlled spaces and premium seating areas. We remain the only conference to set forth league-wide standards for the responsible management of the sale of alcoholic beverages.”

According to the SEC release, schools that offer alcohol sales in public areas must incorporate Conference-wide alcohol management expectations, which include:

Alcoholic beverages are to be sold and dispensed only at designated stationary locations;

Alcoholic beverages may not be sold by vendors within the seating areas;

Identification check is required at every point of sale to prevent sales to minors;

Alcoholic beverage sales are limited to beer and wine only (no hard liquor or mixed drinks may be sold in public seating areas);

Limits must be established on the number of drinks purchased at one time by an individual;

Alcohol must be dispensed into cups;

Safe server training and additional training for staff to handle high risk situations is required; and

Designated stop times for sale and/or distribution of alcohol must be enforced as follows:

Football (end of 3rd quarter);

Basketball (Men’s–Second half 12-minute TV timeout; Women’s–End of 3rd quarter);

Baseball (end of the top of 7th inning);

Softball (end of the top of the 5 th inning); and

Other Sports (At a designated time, no later than when 75% of the event’s regulation length competition is scheduled to be completed).